The Great Dune of Pilat

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Rising 107 metres above sea level, it is the  highest dune in Europe. It can be climbed by means of a wooden stairway – or the more energetic can test their endurance directly on the sand.

Once you reach the top, all your efforts are rewarded by breathtaking panoramic views over the whole of the Arcachon Basin. Down below, stretching between ocean and Basin, lies the vast Arguin Sandbank, where a variety of species of seabirds live together in perfect harmony.

In the background, Cap-Ferret Peninsula and its fishing villages. Further to the east, the famous Ile aux Oiseaux (Bird Island) and its “cabanes tchanquées” (huts built on stilts).

You can look down on the channels and islets of the  Leyre Delta, a nature reserve bordering the vast Forest of Gascogne – a single 6,000-hectare swathe of which forms part of the Municipality of Teste-de-Buch, and which provides a luxuriant green setting for the mighty dune. Paragliding off the southern end of the dune is a popular activity – why not have a go?

Close-up on the Great Dune of Pilat

105 m high 2,700 m
long 500 m wide
60 million m3 of sand
1.5 million admirers every year
Listed as a Grand Site National since 1978.

Good to know :

The Dune is accessible all year round.
You have to pay for the car park from February to November. There’s a beach at the foot of the dune, on its northern side. It’s watched over by lifeguards in the summer, and is great for bathing.

The Arguin Sandbank

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This vast sandbank at the entrance to the Arcachon Basin, between Cap-Ferret and the  Great Dune of Pilat, can only be reached by boat, and has been a nature reserve since 1972. Sculpted by the tides, the Arguin Sandbank serves as a nesting ground for a wide variety of birds, including sandwich terns; it is also popular with fishermen on foot, who come to gather cockles and clams there, as well as with yachters, who come to picnic there in the summertime.

Guided tours are organised by the Teste-de-Buch Tourist Office
+33 (0)5 56 54 63 14 www.tourisme-latestedebuch.fr